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"Well there you go You ain't a dumb Doris after all, are ya?"

"Pregnant?"

"It 'appens, yer know" She turned back to her preparations "She 'ad irl in first school and needed someone to take 'er by the hand and show 'er where it's at Mopin' about 'ere, 'er eyes explodin' every time I mentioned a tumble or havin' it off Don't I look like the dumb one, eh?"

"Is that what bothers you? What you look like? What about her?"

"We all make the beds we sleep in," she muttered

"That's not true Sometimes, the beds are already made and we have no choice," I retorted She looked at me, eyebrows hoisted

"Well there ain't oin' to permit a tart in the 'ouse, is she?"

"You know Mary Margaret is no tart, Mrs Chester" She turned away

"If we don't help her, ill?"

"There's work ta be done and no sense in you and me workin' our jaws"

"No," I said "No sense at all"

I turned and went to aret at dinner I didn't hear Great-aunt Leonora say anything or Greatuncle Richard either She was, as Mrs Chester declared, persona non grata now I couldn't help but feel sorry for her, however, and after dinner chores, I left the house and headed for Mary Margaret's home

I got her address from Mrs Chester and knew that it was close to Croaret and her sick "Mum," as she called her, lived in a flat in what looked like the oldest building on the street The doorway looked ready to fall off its rusted hinges, and the stairs were so narrow, I couldn't i up Mary Margaret and her mother lived on the third floor The creaky steps ascended in six short flights I was afraid to put too ht on the rickety banister I could see it was cracked and loose even though the lighting strea down from weak, naked bulbs was barely adequate

When I reached her door, I knocked and waited I heard what sounded like a radio coain, louder, harder, and then heard the radio turned down and what sounded like so on a wooden floor A chain lock was undone and the door opened a few inches A short woray hair curled wildly like broken piano wires poked her face through the crack atdirectly at athered in saret's mother

"What is it?" she asked Her nose twitched like a rabbit's Was she trying to smell me, too? I wondered